1812 Firework Night

On Friday me and my little family went along to the annual 1812 firework display with live band at our local park.

For me it was the first time I have taken the girls along I'm unsure why I haven't attended in previous years with them, Andy went along last year but for some reason I didn't go along. We always attend our local firework display on the 5th November as its one of the first annual events we attended when me and Andy were little love birds in the early days of our relationship, So it's now a MUST do thing every year for us!
In the six years we've been together Andy has missed one and that was only down to our gas meter having an error and having to wait for someone to come out and fix it.

This is an event I'd usually feel totally overwhelmed by how many people were also attending and I'd usually stay as far away from any crowds as possible, I'd feel that sick hollow following in the pit of my stomach but Friday was another time it just didn't happen, We found a spot in with the crowd and we walked closer to the front to see the band and everything. After 4 years of Anxiety taking over everything I think I may just be the one in control now WHOOP! 

I don't know what it is but every time I've gone along to fireworks the past 2 years I end up really emotional and find myself welling up as I watch the pretty colours burst in the sky.
It was a lovely night made even better by not having the urge to get home as soon as I could, Sorry I know I've said this in quite a few recent posts lately but after 4 years of anxiety controlling everything it feels so surreal to no longer have it have such a hold on me.
I'm so excited to get stuck in with lots of autumn and winter events which I've feared to even arrange to do in previous years!

Does your area have a 1812 night? 

I'm hoping I can get a video together of the firework display and be able to come back and add it to this post.

BIG SISTER BASKET

In September another little man will be joining the Ewing clan taking my niece/nephew count up to 11, 12 if you include a little lady from Andy's side.

Making my little niece a BIG sister! 

During my pregnancy with Daisie I worked on putting a little big sister basket together for Issy for the early days of bringing Daisie home not so much to keep her quiet but to keep her busy while I tended to the demanding needs of a newborn where I can't always be there straight away with her one on one like she grew so used to over the 3 years when my life was just her and no other little human.

It wasn't quite as fancy as this one as her's was the first one I'd ever done so I have got a little better at it over time doing mother's day baskets, easter basket and christmas eve ones, seeing as I have no plans of anymore babies for at least a year or two I just had to put one together for my niece.

I may have gone a little over board as some bits won't fit in the basket and will be going in a bag, It's so hard not to go crazy with so many cute little things to fill it up with.

I've packed it with bath stuff from a shower cap, bath clock right up to some soapy foam, nail polish and stickers, bubble handbag, stickers, secret diary, colour in puzzle, dress up princess, crayons and pencils.

Many of the items cost me £1 and 99p which I felt may look a bit cheap of me until I saw just how much I'd put in the basket, I managed to get the basket completed with time to spare for little mans arrival so who knows I might end up doing a baby boy basket as I've got the basket bug and my mind's going wild with ideas for the girls christmas eve baskets even baskets I could have done for my sister in-law but I think I'm running out of time for that one sadly.

I can't wait to drop it off and see her little smile and give her little brother a squeeze! 

Do you put together big sister/brother or christmas eve baskets?
I'd love to take a peek if you do!

BACK TO SCHOOL BARGAIN

I've wanted a pair of kickers for Issy ever since he started school 3 years ago

but she's a serious toe scuffer so I just wasn't willing to spend £4O+ on a pair of shoes just for them to be ruined within weeks.

With Daisie starting school this year too I really didn't want to get one a pair of kickers and not that other as that just seemed mean, so I um'ed and ar'ed for ages about if the little lip that comes out on the sole would protect the toes some what as Daisie will still be able to play on the bikes in the nursery playground at play times and then I came across the plunks with rubber toes and they seemed perfect.

After all it will take both of them a little bit longer to get through the rubber than it would to take the toe out of some perfect patent ones, My neighbour knew how much I wanted some kickers for them and tagged me in a post on facebook about them being reduced in sports direct right down to £2O down from £44.99 in the plunk style, I just had to get them for bargains sake but they sold out in Daisie's size (size 9) which sent me into a major melt down I finally decided on shoes and they were sold out every where so I gave in and ordered the girls shoes from my studio catalogue instead so they would definitely have some shoes and after all that flapping they were having some bloody kickers!

shoes ordered time to relax and wait for the new school term to start BUT nooo.. Issy's shoes have a please allow 28 days for delivery notice! ARGHH.. So I thought while the kickers from sports direct were only £2O why don't I grab them just incase her's did take the 28 day wait, so I went on to the website and they were reduced again down to £14!! 

Daisie had her heart set on the boot style so I just had to get her some to grow into as lets face it £14 for a pair of £44.99 pair of boots I'd be crazy not to have grabbed them while I could.

My only hang up about our super bargain is I can't shake the feeling they are possibly quite boyish.

£28 for two pairs of £44.99 each pair of boots, I'd call that my bargain of the year!

Summer Holiday Blues

Where on earth have these holidays gone?

I had so much planned to do with the girls like cinema trips, soft play, bowling, swimming, museums and so much more so far we've only really done the park trips.
Once again I'm feeling really deflated by just how little we've done after being so set on this holidays being the one we were hardly ever in doors for, Admittedly the weather hasn't totally been on our side  half of the time and of course Andy's bike accident just before the holidays hasn't made things much easier. Also boy do my girls eat! My food shop has doubled in price making sure they have plenty to snack on through out the day. It feels like as quick as I've done the food shop my cupboards are looking like old mother hubbards again within what seems like minutes no matter how much I double up on the following shop.

I began the holidays so organised regarding school uniforms, P.E bags etc  I made sure to buy pretty much all of the stuff needed for the new school term at the beginning of the holidays so it was done and we could enjoy the holidays BUT yesterday it hit me just how little of the holidays we have left and I didn't have their shoes, the ones I was set on buying and had been in my basket for the last week were out of stock in Daisies size when I finally hit the secure checkout button and all of my local stores were out of stock too!
Que some serious flapping from me and as sad as it is I even shed a tear maybe two or three.
You'd think after 3 years of this I'd be a pro by now and have my schedule down to a T but sadly I don't and I can't be sure I ever will, Today I got the last bit of P.E kit and finally ordered the girls school shoes I'm just praying for once that the delivery date isn't accurate as Issy's shoes delivery asked to allow 28 days, 28 days I really don't have. I know how stupid it was of me to leave the shoes until so late and that's what has frustrated me the most I wanted to leave them until last to be sure they fit when they start school but I didn't plan to leave them this late changing what shoes we were going for certainly didn't help but they are ordered and hopefully will be with us by the end of the week!!
Fingers crossed for me mummys & daddys, I'm not sure how much flapping I have left in me if these shoes don't arrive in time for school.

With this little moping post done I'm determind to make the most of whats left of the holidays be it crafts in doors or finally braving the soft play and getting us down to our local maize maze!

My Blogging Space Wishlist

ARTIFICIAL PLANT // IMAC // RETRO CHAIR // YANKEE CANDLE // DESK // CUSHION // BASKET // SPOTLIGHT

Have THAT Anxiety!

On Sunday while Issy was with her dad, me and Andy decided we'd take Daisie to the park rather than spending another day indoors.

We planned to grab a portion of chips and enjoy them at the park we often visit but it's got to be one of the most boring parks around for things for Daisie to do especially when she doesn't have her sister to play with as half of it me or Andy couldn't get on and play with her even if we wanted to, After seeing just how much she wasn't able to get stuck in and her wandering over and saying she had no friends to play with we decided we'd head to asda and grab a loaf of bread and head to the main park in our area with a boating lake and took a little walk over there.

Busy just didn't cover it there was a sandpit and water part somewhere amongst the many many people usually a situation that makes me want to run in the other direction and get myself home away from the business but that feeling just didn't come. 

I ordered us some chips, while waiting for our chips to arrive a little family beside us were having a bit of trouble with their little one being bored while waiting for their food order and I could see how hot and flustered they were getting so before we left I popped over and told them they were doing fine and we all have days like that. After we had finished our chips we planned to hit the park once we were finished but since Andy's bike accident he's been very anxious and I could see in his face how much the idea bothered him, he said he didn't feel he could go in so we settled for feeding the ducks some more finishing off our loaf of bread and walked round the boating lake taking in the sights as we went along before we headed home. 

Daisie was more than happy with what she had got up to already but there was a small park on route to home so we also stopped in there for a little bit while Daisie and daddy got stuck in on the round about.

Usually the idea of even entering a park is my idea of hell and the feeling of dread just consumes me but I managed 3 parks without once feeling like I had to get myself home, my breathing didn't once get unsteady, my knees didn't go weak and my throat didn't feel like it was slowly closing. 

Not only that before having CBT therapy I would only have dreamt of talking to people I didn't know, I would have thought plenty of what I would say if I had the courage to but I did it!! My words didn't come out as clear or exact words as I had planned but I gave them some reassurance. I know all to well what its like to have a little one that won't cooperate and have what seems like the world watching and judging you so I just had to say something before we left, So they didn't feel judged by us and felt like they were in fact still human.

Have some of that anxiety! 

I've found my wings and I'm finally flying enjoying the little things in life again without having you control every aspect of my life.

Back To School With Aldi

I don't know if your store was the same but I was one of the crazy mums among many trying to find the right sizes in the uniform section of ALDI Thursday Specials last week (23rd)

It was like the sort of scenes you see when there's a weather alert and everyone runs out to stock up on bread, Luckily we worked together rather than against one another and set up a kind of tag team.

We'd hunt for the sizes each other were looking for as well as our own and if we found it we'd hand them over.

Everything was in those HUGE baskets so hangers were entwined with each other, there were stray trousers,skirts and hangers were with the force of pulling them up from the bottom made them come apart.

But for £1 for a pack of 2 polos, £1 for jumpers, £1.5O for skirts and trousers it was worth the battle of getting my hands on some, usually trousers and skirts cost more than socks but the most expensive thing I got was a pack of two dresses at £5.99.

You'd expect the quality to be a little less than rival brands but the quality is just as amazing, I've found the sizing to be a little smaller than asda when it comes to polos but skirts I needed a size down but even if I got the wrong sizes for £1.5O is it really a loss? 

In total I got the girls 2 packs of polos each at £1 a pack

A pair of trousers each at £1.5O

A jumper for Issy at £1 

2 skirts for Issy £1.5O

pack of two pinafore dresses £5.99

A pack of 5 knee high socks each at £3.49 each 

A pack of 5 ankle socks each £1.79 each

and a pack of 3 tights each at £3.99

Coming to a whopping £35.52 

The girls are now fully kitted out for school and it hasn't left me or my bank account crying!